Manon University OneShots
by wavingthroughawindow
Summary: One shots with a consistent storyline, featuring Manorian, and Manon, but never from her perspective. An AU at a university. Manorian, Manon x Asterin BroTP. Fluff. Please review!


It was midnight, and Aedion was tired.

But Aelin had called for a midnight meeting, so here they were, discussing college life and trying not to fall asleep. Aedion wasn't the only one who was tired. Across from him, Lysandra was blinking hard just to stay awake.

"Okay, so the reason I called this meeting is, I'm a little concerned about Dorian," Aelin said.

What was that? From the foggy haze of his brain, Aedion caught 'Dorian' and 'concerned'. He supposed those words went well together.

"Ever since Sorscha was killed by that stupid mass murderer, Dorian's been different."

Sorscha. Killed. Dorian. Different. That was a bit of an understatement. Dorian looked like a ghost these days. Then again, Aedion supposed he had every right to. After all, Sorscha had taken the shot meant for _Dorian_. Of course he would feel guilty. That still didn't stop Aedion from hating Dorian, but… no. That was beside the point. He took a deep breath and put his feelings aside.

"So I'm thinking, as his friends, we should all do something about it," Aelin concluded.

Do something? What was there to do?

As if echoing his thoughts, Lysandra said, "But what _can_ we do? Chaol's off in the hospital trying to shake off that bullet wound injury… and he was Dorian's best friend. He'd know what to do."

Aelin's eyes sparked. "We do not need Chaol for _anything_ ," she growled. Behind her, her boyfriend Rowan nodded. Aedion found himself nodding too. Chaol had put Aelin through hell. If he could be avoided, it would be for the best.

"You're right," Lysandra said simply. "I'm tired."

"I think what Aelin means is, we just have to be there for Dorian," Rowan explained. Looking at him, Aedion could see that he was tired as well. Rowan was just trying to end the meeting.

"Yeah, that's exactly it," Aelin said. "He needs space to heal, but he also needs supportive friends."

A supportive friend. Just what Aedion wanted to be to a man he hated with all his heart. Sighing, he nodded. He would do it for Aelin.

"Y'all can go now," Aelin sighed.

"Thanks for putting up with this midnight meeting," Rowan added, as Aelin sank into Rowan's frame.

"Good night," Aelin grinned wickedly. Aedion turned around, walked out, and left for his dorm room.

* * *

It was midnight, and Dorian couldn't sleep.

Ever since… no. He would not think her name. But ever since… it had happened, Dorian had not gotten one good night of sleep. He was constantly plagued by nightmares of… her. And it.

Sighing, Dorian sat up and took a deep breath. It was okay. This was reality. He was not watching her fall… again… and again… and again…

No. He would not think about it. It was over. This was reality. He would move on; he would go on with life.

But how could he go on with life? How could he heal from her loss without her? How could he ever deal with her sacrifice?

And then there was the small matter that Dorian couldn't _remember_ the week after her death. What had he done in that week? What terrible deeds had he committed? Dorian wasn't sure, but he had a pretty good idea, considering the murders had stopped that week. He shuddered at the thought. No. He would not consider that possibility. At least not now.

Chaol would understand. But Chaol was also healing. He had also made sacrifices for Dorian.

Why was everyone making sacrifices for him? He didn't deserve it for sure. He deserved nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. The word echoed in his brain.

Why did he have to stay strong while all those who mattered to him fell before his eyes? Why him?

God, he needed air. Dorian wrenched himself out of bed. Maybe a walk wouldn't be so bad. He got up, changed his clothes, and stepped outside to take a walk.

* * *

The air was indeed fresh and crisp, and it was surprisingly warm. Dorian walked briskly to the campus gardens, and then slowed down his pace. He would try to enjoy this.

But inevitably, his train of thought shifted again to… it. She had been so noble, so brave, so _pure_. She had left him. It wasn't fair.

Dorian felt his face carefully. No tears yet. That didn't surprise him. Dorian had never been a _crying_ sort of person. That didn't stop him from feeling things, though. He was just really good at showing no emotion. Which was both a blessing and a curse.

Her light had gone out, for him. She had been so perfect. She had lit up his days. Hadn't she known how much she meant to him? Hadn't she known her sacrifice would break him?

And after that night, what had he done? If he had killed her murderer… his stomach lurched at the thought. No matter how horrible her murderer was… Dorian was now tainted. Forever stained with his horrible deeds.

He sank down to the ground. He was horrible… horrible… horrible… Even Chaol would know it. He wanted so badly for the tears to come. But they didn't. His emotion stayed trapped within him, trying to come out, but unable to. It stayed in him, slowly smothering him from the inside out.

And without warning, he heard a voice.

"Hello, princeling."

* * *

Dorian looked up. A white-haired girl was in front of him, dressed in all black. Her gold eyes glinted with amusement. Her smile… it was absolutely wicked. Though she looked slightly Goth, Dorian couldn't help but feel that she looked stunning.

"I am not a _prince_ ," he replied. Why would she call her that?

"You're rich enough that you could be one," the girl replied. " _Princeling_ ," she added.

"Well, then, hello, witchling," Dorian found himself saying. Why? Of all things, why did he call her a witch?

"Frighteningly accurate," she said, looking at her nails. _Talons_ was more like it. Her nails, no, talons, were a couple inches long apiece, and terrifyingly sharp-looking. Yes, this girl was certainly a witch if he was a prince.

"What might someone like _you_ be doing outside at such an unearthly hour?" she asked him.

"And just what do you mean by _someone like me_?" he retorted. She was so smug.

"Oh, a rich, spoiled, and frightfully handsome princeling," she replied. She smiled, sending a shiver down his spine.

"Well, I might ask you the same thing," Dorian replied to her, shaking the earlier insults off. They had some truth to them, but that was beside the point.

"Oh, I'm always awake at this hour," she said, in a bone-chilling voice.

"Who _are_ you?" he replied. This woman was intriguing him. Despite his brain screaming at him to run away, he stayed put.

"Manon Blackbeak," she said, with a little smile. "Nice to meet you, princeling."

"Dorian Havilliard," he replied. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, witchling."

"Dorian," she mused. "I've heard that name before. You have quite a reputation with the ladies, don't you?"

He gulped a little. It was true. Or at least, it had been true. Before… her.

"Yes," he said simply, trying to turn the topic away. "It surprises me that you know that. You don't seem like… your average gossipy college girl."

"Oh, I have friends in all sorts of places," Manon replied, waving her hand. "I hear things."

"Glad to know you've never had any interest in me," Dorian said frankly. Manon was… surprising him.

"Oh, whoever said that?" Manon said mysteriously, and then smiled that creepy smile again, making Dorian slightly uncomfortable.

"Well, I should get going," Dorian said. "So long, witchling…"

"So long, princeling," Manon replied. "I'll be here again tomorrow night…"

* * *

As he walked away, Dorian felt his feet on the ground, sure and certain. Manon had scared him, that much was for sure. But… after talking to her, he felt… more human. Less wraith-like. She was so strong… and she had really taken his mind off of… the incident.

'Strange,' he thought, walking back to his dorm. 'She was very strange. I'd like to meet her friends.'

Sleep started to hit him as he opened the door. He collapsed onto his bed, and started to drift off.

'I wonder if I'll meet her again,' he thought, as his mind went into a foggy haze. Almost asleep, but not quite there yet.

'I hope so,' he thought, and then sleep took him.

* * *

 _Hey readers! So these are Manon One Shots. They initially started off as Manorian One Shots, but I just like Manon so much as a character that they changed to Manon One Shots. I'll try to do these fairly chronologically, and I guarantee they'll never be from Manon's perspective (that's way too hard for me!)_

 _Regarding updating, it could be a couple months before I post another one. These are one shots, and I'm juggling a couple other stories, so it'll be hard to get to this one. This definitely isn't the end, though._

 _As you can see, I really like the whole 'witchling' and 'princeling' thing Manon and Dorian have going, so I had to find a way to incorporate it in my AU, even when they aren't witch and prince, respectively._

 _Stay beautiful! :)_


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